Road Tripping the PNW Coast

How can I even begin to tell you all how much I am enraptured with this new camera?! It's as though it sees what I see... finally!!... it's my "mechanical eye." In fact, I think I will call the wide angle lens my "black eye" because it can see so well in low light settings, which we know the north coast for having as its default weather. There are all kinds of great features I invested in that allow me to take clear shots of the landscapes I explore... and sometimes I even get lucky when visiting these terrains to happen upon some if its wild locals, such as the juvenile red-tail hawk pictured above, taking off over the Columbia River on Thanksgiving Day. I'd be honored to share my photos with you through social media on Facebook and Instagram. This NotYourEverydayDreamer site is a great resource for viewing my portfolio and reading the directions I am taking via my blog, but the day-to-day grit will be posted more frequently on the other sites.

Holiday Market in Long Beach

This December, I am participating in my first ever holiday market! I am SO excited to finally be a part of one in the center of where I shoot. The Adrift Hotel will be hosting my table of photography goods (and myself!). This is so very special because I am one of the designers of the hotel! That's right -- if you stayed in one of the rooms, you would be familiar by now with the forest and beach pillows that stand out on the clean white beds. I designed those! I will have my full catalog at my table for you to order from, with a few for sale that I can fit on a six foot table! That's Sammy in the picture above, resting with my forest pillow -- I even have furry fans with tails! (photo Credit goes to Linh -- Thanks Linh!)

This event takes place on Saturday, December 16, 2017 from 10am to 4pm, downstairs in the little side room near the lobby. There will be clean bathrooms, fresh hot coffee, and an upstairs dining room called the Pickled Fish for you to enjoy if you come out for the day to shop with me. What a great place to catch the sunset, up in the Pickled Fish!

I have been busting tail here in my home studio to introduce four new product lines in a month's time. Am I crazy? Crazy-inspired and persistent, yep. These new lines will range in price from $4 to $50, all being small gift-able items for yourself or a loved one. This means they will be easy to ship, too! All of them will incorporate my coastal and forest photography, and I'm gonna make you come and check it all out before I spill the beans too soon. Please come on over and say hello, I would love to talk to anyone interested in my work! I enjoy sharing local knowledge and stories about this beautiful land we call the PNW.

Here is part of my philosophy as a creative. I've heard of some artists going only after big projects... but I believe in everyone being able to afford art in their lives. It makes art more prevalent, influential, and visible. By making small affordable art that is functional as well as decorative, art can have a larger presence in our lives, and we do not have to settle for chain store, mass-produced stuff. Think about how many art pieces you own that are worth more than $120 each... probably not many. But how many creative magnets, cards, small prints, bags and other small things do you have that enhance your daily life because you are able to enjoy the inspiring, creative, local imagery artists have put on them? Exactly!

Here's my Instagram again if you want to follow along... I just might post a few photos of my new stuff the week of the holiday event. You just never know.